Frederick Douglass: Enslavement & Escape

American History Hit

History Hit

America, History

4.5 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 6 February 2025

⏱️ 52 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Born enslaved in 1818, by the time of the Civil War Frederick Douglass was famous around the United States and Europe for his work in the abolition movement. So how did this famous orator learn his trade, having never been to school? How did he escape enslavement? And how did his ideals change as war was brewing?

Sidney Morrison introduces us to Frederick Douglass in this first of two episodes. Sidney is the author of 'Frederick Douglass: A Novel'.

Produced by Sophie Gee. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. Senior Producer was Charlotte Long.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

You can take part in our listener survey here.

All music from Epidemic Sounds.

American History Hit is a History Hit podcast.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	July 5, 1852.
0:04.0	At Corinthian Hall in Rochester, New York,
0:07.0	members of the Rochester Ladies' Anti-Slavery Society
0:11.0	sit attentively focused on the speaker before them.
0:14.0	The hall, its tall windows lining both sides
0:17.0	and a high-paneled ceiling trapping the heat and humidity feels close, stifling.
0:22.6	Guests shift in their seats, billowing skirts brushing against one another.
0:27.6	Under most any other circumstance, this assembly would be restless, impatient, longing for a breath of fresh air.
0:35.6	But today, they are riveted upon the podium before them,
0:39.6	where stands Frederick Douglass, the noted African-American writer and orator,
0:44.6	commanding the room with his remarkable presence,
0:47.9	as he addresses a theme dear to all Americans,
0:51.1	the meaning of the Fourth of July.
0:53.4	I am glad, fellow citizens, that your nation is so young, he says to his audience.
0:59.7	76 years, though a good old age for a man, is a mere speck in the life of a nation.
1:05.7	Douglas proceeds to draw this parallel analogy between the life of a man and the life of a country.
1:11.6	Three score years and ten is the allotted time for individual men,
1:16.6	but nations number their years by thousands.
1:19.6	According to this fact, you are even now only in the beginning of your national career,
1:25.6	still lingering in the period of childhood.
1:28.5	I repeat, I am glad this is so.
1:32.0	Why is he glad?
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in -5 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from History Hit, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of History Hit and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.